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en-usTechdirt. Stories filed under "rebranding"https://ii.techdirt.com/s/t/i/td-88x31.gifhttps://www.techdirt.com/Wed, 13 May 2015 08:08:34 PDTCable Industry Tries To Distance Itself From Decades Of Poor Service By Eliminating The Word 'Cable'Karl Bodehttps://www.techdirt.com/articles/20150507/10233530926/cable-industry-tries-to-distance-itself-decades-poor-service-eliminating-word-cable.shtml
https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20150507/10233530926/cable-industry-tries-to-distance-itself-decades-poor-service-eliminating-word-cable.shtmlany U.S. industry. The cable industry's ingenious solution? Stop using the word cable. Last week, the cable industry held its annual trade conference, previously dubbed "The Cable Show." Trying to distance itself from the aging, negative associations with the word "cable," the industry has decided to rename the conference The Internet & Television Expo.

"I hate the name," Michael Powell, president of NCTA, the cable industry’s trade group, said Tuesday. "It doesn’t fairly capture what they do."...This year’s trade show was renamed to "be more centered around its future as it's associated with the Internet," Powell said on stage at the conference. The term "cable company," he said, "has a proud history, but it needs to be retired."

Of course when your entire business revolves around using coaxial cable to deliver Internet and television service, deciding to drop the word in the hopes of forcing a brand refresh might be an uphill climb. Most attendees of the show couldn't remember the new name, and just wound up calling the conference by the old name for simplicity's sake:

"It's called Internet something something something, right?” said Chris Gagliano, who works at Anvato Inc., which provides online video software. "I don’t even know what it stands for." Most people preferred to call it the “cable show,” even if that’s not the name anymore. "I'll probably call it that forever," said Brian Hanrahan, a regional sales manager at Optelian, which helps build broadband networks. "Until everyone else starts calling it 'INTX,' I’m going to call it the cable show."

Clearly, it's going to take a lot more than a simple word change to erase memories of waiting days for the cable man or spending four hours trying to get an answer from Comcast's kafka-esque phone support system. Atrocious customer service certainly isn't the word "cable's" fault. It's thanks to a lack of competition and the resulting apathy, which by proxy results in skimping on subcontractor and support quality. Eliminating the word cable in the hopes of fixing this industry chain of dysfunction is kind of like trying to put out a forest fire by proudly proclaiming it's a walnut -- it's just not going to get to the root of the problem.

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]]>good-luck-with-thathttps://www.techdirt.com/comment_rss.php?sid=20150507/10233530926Fri, 18 Oct 2013 19:39:00 PDTLobbyists Looking To Call Themselves Something Else: Here Are A Few SuggestionsMike Masnickhttps://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130921/15120124600/lobbyists-looking-to-call-themselves-something-else-here-are-few-suggestions.shtml
https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130921/15120124600/lobbyists-looking-to-call-themselves-something-else-here-are-few-suggestions.shtmlThis American Life episode all about lobbying, where you begin to realize that lobbying is a symptom of a messed up campaign finance system, rather than "legalized bribery" as some believe. All too often, it appears, politicians are chasing down lobbyists, trying to get donations, rather than lobbyists "offering up" something. Besides, in theory, having people who can help educate clueless politicians about important issues could be a good thing -- if those politicians are actually hearing from all sides on an issue and then making a decision based on the facts (I know, I know, stop laughing...). Of course, that's not the system we have. At all.

And, because of that, many people blame the lobbyists, and, indeed, under today's system, many lobbyists engage in highly questionable practices, because the potential returns are so high.

Given all of this, it appears that lobbyists are trying to "rebrand" themselves. Apparently the preferred name is "Government Relations." Yes, it's the perfect kind of whitewash of "lobbyist." However, the NY Times has suggested "Congress Plus" as a more appropriate name:

We suggest “Congress Plus” as a more truthful name for an industry that employs more than 400 former members of the Senate and House, plus former Congressional staff members estimated in one study to total 5,400 people over a recent 10-year period. Not to mention untold dozens of lobbyists who smartly shift back and forth to Congressional committee posts as the electoral pendulum makes partisan swings that prove increasingly lucrative for experienced insiders.

So, what are some other suggestions for how lobbyists should rebrand? Here are a few suggestions, and we welcome more in the comments: